NikonAF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

I am a very pleased user of Nikon Cameras. It seems I upgrade about every 18 months or so. My latest purchase is the Nikon D7000 which is the best of the mid-range line of camera. I think it is a tad bit above the D5100 which is a very good camera as well. Even still, the lenses that come with these cameras do not allow you the full benefits of these great cameras.A good camera body needs a good lens. And the Nikon 18-300mm f/3.4-5.6G AF-S DX is what you are looking for. There are cheaper lenses and they are fine and all, but once you have attached this lens to your camera body, you will truly understand the time you have wasted.I had long ago purchased the Nikon 55-300mm ED VR AF-S DX lens as my long range telephone lens. It’s a good lens and all, but it is slow and a very slight lens blur, which I manage by dropping the f-stop down as far as practical, many time relying on the vibration reduction to save a shot.With the Nikon 18-300mm lens, I no longer have to do that. It is a much faster lens with a very nice bump up in clarity, sharp images and an improvement in color performance. It also replaces two lenses in my case (The stock 18-105mm that came with the camera and the 55-300mm ED I mentioned above)It is, however, a heavy lens. The D7000 is a good solid camera body sporting a magnesium alloy body that can take some rough handling. This make it much heavier than the other mid-range cameras and the addition of the 18-300mm lens is going to be something to consider as the weight is remarkable in comparison. I’m an athletic person so it isn’t too bad, but my wife thinks its nuts. I will admit that I am investing in a longer and heavier strap to compensate.Here is something else I must mention. Too many people buy these cameras and never learn how to get the most out of them. Too often as not, the problem lies behind the camera body and not within. To get the most out of your camera and this lens, you will have to invest some time in studying the manuals that come with your equipment. If they are too dry and technical (Yes I agree with you there) there are several inexpensive guides available that will help you immensely. I’m not so high and mighty that I can’t admit I buy two or three of them when I get a new camera.Allow me to list a few high points:1. Clarity. This is a remarkable upgrade from the stock lens.2. Speed. With the large objective lens means more photons are making it down the pipe. This camera will work well in a broader range of light conditions.3. VR or Vibration Reduction works very well with this lens. There are two modes to VR as well; Normal, which works well in most “on foot” applications, and Active for when you are in a moving vehicle.4. Build quality. It feels like it can take some rough handling, though I have no intention of trying that out intentionally.5. It works very well in close ups. My 55-300mm didn’t focus within about 3 or 4 feet. This one works down to about a foot and a half at 300mm. Not exactly Macro, but it will work in a pinch.6. The lens comes with a lens hood, which I recommend keeping attached to protect against bumps and bangs.What I would like to have seen.1. Tripod mount on the lens would have been nice, but I can get over it.Unless something happens in the future, such as a catastrophic failure or it suddenly decides to melt in the rain, this one rates the full five stars.

Wow, I didn't know this was possible. I loved my Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras, but I wished I could focus closer and go wider. I loved my Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom Nikkor Lens, but often wished it had more reach. After selling both to have an affair with the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM SLD Ultra Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital DSLR Camera, which while fun was doomed to be a short term thing. Anyway, I always wished there could be such a lens, and now it's here. Remarkably the length of time from first seemingly reputable rumor to announcement to being in my hands.Initial impressions:It's large, though not exceptionally so (then again once you use a "Bigma", large is relative), and it's heavy. Not having my 18-200VR anymore it's hard to make direct comparisons, but suffice to say it's quite a bit bigger all around, but the proportions are manageable. It's shorter than my 70-300VR, though girthier and heavier. Build quality is excellent (Nikon's high end consumer grade), and everything has a tight smooth operation.When mounted on my Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only) (freshly updated to correct for distortions with this new lens), it is relatively balanced, but having a grip helps. It quickly starts to extend, and when fully extended, the minimum focus distance isn't far from the front of the lens (that spec is based off of the plane where the sensor is, not anything on the lens). Focus seems a bit slower than what I'm used to, but still fast (more of an acute observance than anything problematic), but results are sharp and precise. VR works brilliantly (FYI, I believe it was off by default), and I get crisp results often at 1/60 when shooting at 300mm (or whatever the effective focal length actually is).I haven't pixel peeped yet, but initial results are as I expected. Solid, reliable, and sharp. Contrast could be better, but that's compared to my primes, and it's comparable to what I got from my 18-200 & 70-300 zooms. The versitility is worth the trade off, but do know you're making one (as you do with any zoom). Where Nikon has blown me away is that the trade off is so minimal. I honestly don't see much more than you'd see in an 18-105VR.Conclusion (for now):It's an amazing lens that makes minimal and well measured compromises to enable awesome versatility. As with all zooms, you give up some light gathering ability, but unlike 3rd party choices (18-270 ones at least), you never go past f/5.6, which you hit around 100mm. You also lose some contrast, but no more than Nikon's other consumer zooms, and less than 3rd party choices. AF speed is slower than some lenses, but still what I'd call fast. Size weight are definitely in a whole new league compared to 18-x lenses, but not that bad by 300mm standards (weight is a bit high). Cost, well that's a tough call, but being a Nikon, it likely will hold it's value throughout it's life.All in all, I love it.7/1/2012 UpdateGreat results on my D90! While the somewhat slow aperture does require some flexibility in regards to shutter speed/ISO, VR and modern Nikon high ISO capabilities mitigate that limitation. Heck, throw this on a D5100 (or D7000), and you'll be able to handle most scenarios between the focal length versatility of this lens and the high ISO abilities of Nikon's best (in terms of ISO) DX sensor. For me, I'm quite happy with what I see on my D90. AF is definitely a bit slower than perfect (but definitely ideal) at 300mm indoors, even with the IR emitter on my SB600. Sharpness is excellent, even at slowish shutter speeds (sample uploaded). It's just crazy versatile, and honestly, as stated by another reviewer, it totally matches the capabilities of the 70-300VR, which is an excellent lens. This is Nikon's best super zoom, and the industry's best to boot. The 18-200VR was a compelling reason (one of my main reasons) to go with Nikon (when launched), and this a much better lens (if you're OK with the size/weight).7/13/2012 UpdateThis lens is definitely as good or better than the 18-200VR and 70-300VR combined. It doesn't give up anything to either lens. That's absolutely amazing give the inherent compromises with zooms, let alone ultra-zooms, and even more so when you consider how great those other two lenses are. You don't lose anything optically, and the size and weight penalty isn't THAT bad when compared to them, nor is the price. This is Nikon's best consumer zoom, and honestly it's every bit as impressive (in a totally different manner) as it's legendary 70-200VR II or any other pro zoom (I'm not saying it's better at a common focal length, but it makes up for that in versatility, price, and size). Anyway, if you're tempted by this lens, go for it. You won't regret it.